twostringsonebow

[ Is Goro playing hard to get...? Or is he serious? ]

Then I'll go by myself.

[... In truth he kind of Does have something he should be doing today, but. It's not that big of a modelling gig anyway. They'll find someone else easily. Goro's just one of the many in line in this case.]

I have time to mess around with you, Akira, don't worry. I'll meet you there.

[ The sacrifices you make to do illegal things... Either way, Goro has made the right choice. ]

You're making this sound like we're playing hooky. [ WHICH!! He has never done! Yet! ] See you there.

[ Though, to be honest, he's actually already there. That's why he knows the doors are unlocked. ]

[Alright then. A few calls on the way, arrangements made to cover for his unfortunate schedule conflict he can't possibly reschedule, no, and he's rightfully free the rest of the day!

... Great!

So he'll meet Akira there, but he's in Disguise. Hoodie and sunglasses. He's prepared. Compliment him on his forward thinking he's literally dying from the heat.]

Shall-- shall we?

Edited 2017-07-06 04:01 (UTC)

[ Akira is wearing normal clothes for the summer...? A graphic t, some pants, the usual. Which, in a way, speaks for his preprataion skills, but he has a bandanna he can wear to obscure the lower half of his face. There's also a hat.

Good enough.

When Goro arrives, Akira lifts up his hand before he studies his attire. The get-up is smart and dumb at the same time. How does someone pull this off? ]

Aren't you hot?

My healthy self-esteem says yes, but honestly it's a matter of taste, isn't it?

[Goro is... fine. Perfectly fine. Akira was absolutely not asking about temperature, definitely not.]

[ This is the flattest stare in history. He fell for this trap, but he doesn't even feel conned since he can see the beads of sweat running down Goro's brow. Go ahead and bake. ]

Pray that there's AC in there.

[ Hoisting his bandanna up, he takes the first step to open the door. No alarm, no signs of life, not even some motion sensor lights? Suspicious. It's time to slip in quietly and he waits for his partner in crime to follow after him before advancing any further. Safety first. ]

Edited 2017-07-06 04:40 (UTC)

[At the very least, it's out of the sun, and that is relief enough.

This certainly is weird, though... It's so unprotected, so empty, that it's more than a little concerning; Goro follows as quietly as he can behind, noting the lack of anything on the first floor and the frankly odd placements of doors. Usually office buildings have more, but it feels off somehow.

He's keeping his voice low, of course, and thankfully he doesn't have to be super in Akira's space to be heard because of the unsettling silence.]

Perhaps I wasn't wrong to call them a bunch of AI, seeing as there's no one here.

[At least there's the softly lighted stairwell, even if that screams sci-fi horror of the Soma-equivalent kind.]

[ For a corporate building, this layout lacks doors, hallways, and token decor—it makes no sense. While Goro keeps his hands to himself, Akira has graciously checked the drawers of the only desk available. It's clean. Spotless. He never thought something scant of evidence would be so unsettling. Pressing the elevator buttons come next, but it's out of order despite its new finish.

How pristine. The only artificial light frames the single staircase available, setting a perfect trap that entices the mind and senses. ]

We still have the second floor.

[ Most would stop by now, maybe retreat and think this through, but Akira finds himself compelled to take this risk. Quietly yet swiftly, he makes his way over and scales up the steps. Bye. ]

Kuru--

[Aaand there he goes, off to die via some weird AI bullshit.

No, it's not long before Goro traverses after him, about to chide him about running off, but... there is one room here and the door is ajar. That's certainly sketch as hell, but he's moving forward anyway, peering inside and then pushing the door open more with a frown.

Wow, a nerd's room, he doesn't know where to start. He'll wander in anyway.]

It's so... small. What's with all of this?

[Experiments? Nerd stuff? Laptop... they probably won't be able to work that, will they, but it's caught his interest anyway.]

[ YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF HIM? Akira is ready to open the door until Goro forces his way through and leads the way into what... seems like a poor excuse of a room. It's the size of a peasant's closet. His face kind of scrunches up to see the state of the room, but there's some sympathy especially when he finds the note. Students nowadays do so much to get their foot through the door.

Of course, he's attracted to the costumes and kind of sifts through them. ]

Look like someone practically lives here.

[ Biology? Interning for Retrospec? Sewing for a convention? Stacks of dried coffee mugs. Now he abandons the rack to hover over the table, moving the papers so that it's easier to see the owner's name. ]

This Maurice sure is ambitious. How inspiring.

I'm not sure I'd call this living, but... someone certain does spend a lot of time here. I feel a little sorry for them.

[Goro taps rhythmically on the table, staring at the laptop before sighing; they're already trespassing into private property, into someone's living quarters and rummaging around, going through someone's personal files on a computer is just another thing on the list.

It powers on easily, in stark contrast to the rest of the building, and there's pages of notes and diagrams that just as quickly blink away, back to the lock screen. Maybe they'd been digital copies of what had been found here already. Maybe they were different.

Either way, it's something that's hidden now, and that means he needs to uncover it. His heart's beating faster from the taste of mystery.]

We need a password.

I think my cat would like it here.

[ Cats like small, confined spaces. Anyway, he has nothing against checking through someone's laptop if it's out in the open for them to look, especially when it's Retrospec's intern. Unfortunately, he is by no means prepared for this. As he's overloaded by the diagrams and notes (which he somehow can't discern a single part), he squints to keep himself sane and continues even when the lock screen manifests before them.

Gated by technology, of course. He shifts from one foot to the other as he readjusts his bangs. It's time to put their thinking caps on, but after one important question: ]

How many tries do we have?

I'm not sure, but considering it's someone's personal computer we're probably safe from setting off any alarms. In other words, failure is an option, even if I'd like to look at what's on here more.

[... Maybe they have infinite. Maybe ten. Maybe just one, which would suck for Maurice if he happened to mistype by accident.

He curls a fist to his mouth, staring at the blinking input line, and rests his hands on the keyboard with a wry smile.]

You don't suppose it's just password, do you? We're out of luck if it happens to be something personal we can't find out anyway.

[ Akira is curious, too, so he thinks it's worth a try even though he knows they'll fail miserably. They're new, knowing only a good handful about Retrospec. Will that stop them from their attempts at being Professional Info Terrorists? No. ]

A science major with a simplistic and insecure password. [ While someone hogs the laptop, he'll sift through the papers and fossil containers. Maybe these will help. ] What if it's a DNA structure? Or a game reference...

[ Endless possibilities. Thinking... ]

Just type whatever in.

[The back of Goro's neck heats up and he huffs.]

I'll have you know that no one actually checks to see if someone's password is that, so I would think it's one of the more secure ones. As far as manual typing goes.

[Computer run hacking goes through millions of possibilities a minute, so it'd be an easy fit provided it wasn't a random mess of letters and numbers. Or so the movies claimed.

But he's not going to try it anyway, just because of that, and after two tries down he stares at the screen, squinting at it. Birthdate, maybe? Social security number? Wow, that'd be a mistake for Maurice, if anyone figure that out.

... Well, whatever, Goro's testing out his last bid, some pun like "dnamite", and it blanks out for a moment.

And then a video fades in, much to Goro's rising horror.

A sigh, shoulders drooping and everything, as he leaves the fruits to smile and dance on the screen while he decides the best move. Takes out his phone after a thought, snapping a picture of the fossil containers Akira's nearby.]

I don't think we're going to get anything particularly relevant to our eyes out of this, so taking pictures would probably be a good idea. At least we have some music to go with it now.

I don't think I would usually guess an intellectual would use password1234. Maybe the most secure passwords are the insecure ones.

[ With a shrug... He doubts it. Going against the protocol when it comes to security is unlikely in this conforming society. No one wants to risk their information being extracted for good reasons, but it doesn't matter. They're moving forward and Goro has successfully locked them out. The music at first startles him, but he doesn't drop any glass or fumble like a klutz. He places the jar carefully back into its original place—don't flame him, he's wearing gloves. ]

The music could be worse.

[ An attempt to lighten the exasperation exuding out of Goro has been made. He steps aside to let him take all the photos he wants, believing they'll be sent to him later. Despite that, he feels a stir of doubt as the memory of the TV station interview forces its way into his mind. They were on opposing sides, yet amicable. A little uneasy, he decides to take photos of the other half to keep his mind occupied: the costumes, the sewing machine, the calendar... ]

We might be able to catch him at the convention. [ Peeking over his shoulder, he steals a glance over to Goro before his eyes dart instantly to the laptop screen.

... Be right back, he has to watch this in full. ]

The music is acceptable. It's just the video I dislike.

[... And Akira is going to watch it, alright. Goro gives him a tired look, taking pictures of the various notes and the biology books. Hybrids, evolution, reference texts like this... is Maurice just into sci-fi (because hey! good taste, intern) or is he attempting to be a mad scientist?

No, he's probably just a nerd.]

If I wasn't already planning on going before, I certainly am now. [Because he's also a nerd.] Want to be my date?

[ He's engulfed by this video, almost put into a trance. It's juvenile, crafted with the creativity of a toddler, yet he finds it awfully amusing? He's not sure why... Maybe he feels it on a spiritual level. He's still listening, however, which is why he feels attacked by Goro's question. His stomach flips over several times as he musters all the mental fortitude and physical strength to not look emasculated beyond belief. There's a gulp—he almost blurted out Why? No. I'm sure there's someone better to go with. Are you making fun of me?

It's a bad habit of his to fiddle with his bangs when he's feeling shy, but he does it anyway like a fool. God-fucking-damnit, this isn't even a big deal. Curse him for getting anxious with every invitation he gives out and receives. Just smile... He should spend time with people. It'll be all right.

It takes him a moment, but he sends Goro the gay seal image via text, sorry. The plan: fake it till you make it. ]

[Goro wonders if he's misstepped when there's no response, no quip or anything in reply, the world remarkably off-kilter... or at least it feels it, like there's nothing beneath him, and then his phone vibrates and he sees the text.

He laughs, sure, but the back of his neck's heating up again, ears joining it this time. Ah, hum. The feeling of disappointment isn't one he's unfamiliar with, and... he'd meant it as their usual banter, he's pretty sure, but it feels odd now. Mm, mm, what now.]

Since we're partners, [he decides to clarify, stepping away as if investigating the other side of the small room is the most important thing in the world. What costumes these are. Wow. Fascinating.] Your cat couldn't come anyway.

[Moving back to safety.]

[ WAS THAT NOT A NORMAL RESPONSE FROM HIM? Akira can feel the shift in atmosphere and his muscles tense in turn. He definitely messed up. Big time. What to do...? His brain scrambles as he nervously rubs his neck. The video is starting to jumble in with his thoughts, so he finally pulls the plug on the laptop and end their misery. It's another mistake—now they're brewing in this awkward silence.

How can he salvage this? His eyes wander around the room on his side, finding nothing interesting. Letting out a shaky sigh, he starts. ]

I'll go with you. [ He clears his throat once, twice before. The smile stays plastered on his lips, though more out of embarrassment than bravado. Quietly, he makes his way beside Goro to examine the costumes for the nth time. ] Even when we're not partners.

So stop going after my cat.

[ Bumping their shoulders together, he wants to emphasize that last part for some humor. ]

[IT WAS, BUT. He doesn't know, god. Don't ever make him explain anything, it's going to turn into a lot of winding words that try to find the answer on the way to the actual point.

Goro tucks some hair behind his ear, aware it's definitely his fault it went this way this time, and chuckles politely, nodding. It does help to ease the tension in his shoulders though, exhaling softly as it goes. He's fine, it's fine.

... Which is exactly as it's going to stay, because he is very determined not to say Maybe if you were as cute as your cat, I'd go after you instead just in case that sends this back to weirdville.]

Did you finish taking pictures?

[ Stop hitting on him in your head!! The air around them is back to being comfortable. Whew. Akira takes one last look around the room before nodding. ]

We shouldn't stick around for too long, but before we leave...

[ There is another reason he invited Goro with him aside from his intellect and expertise. With a raised hand, he gently caresses his cheek and guides him by the chin to face him. They're subtle movements, feather light, almost like a ghost's touch. Unfortunately, what comes next is not as gentle and sweet. Akira abruptly slaps him in a flash and it makes quite the sound. It may sting, but there's no lingering pain.

Time to check his digital bingo card. Looking good. Eyes bright, he looks back to Goro in high spirits. ]

Thanks. We can head out now.

[The heart caught in his throat is resoundingly slam dunked into his stomach, eyes wide as he turns back to face Akira with a hand raising to his cheek.

... Oh. Oh, that's dirty, and he purses his lips for a moment before the hand winds back and he has absolutely no issues with slapping Akira right back; it's a pain that's going to last longer than the stinging in his cheek, and Goro's smile tight as he flips back to his bingo and checks it out. Wonderful, another done.]

Let's.

[And he's going to start heading out! A little embittered by the most petty thing of this wasn't just to hang out, it was to do the stupid bingo. Sheesh. He canceled money for this.]

[ Ah... Akira doesn't mind at all, but he does feel a small hint of spiteful force behind the swing. What did he do wrong this time?! Holding onto his cheek, he follows Goro without question, but does look behind them every so often just in case. When the door even cracks open a sliver, he can feel the piping hot summer air wisp in. It's... Gross. It's even worse when he feels that smoldering heat brush against his wounded cheek.

He grimaces, reluctant to leave suddenly, but they're out. Back under the baking sun, he's already tugging his shirt to get some ventilation going. Right. The person next to him is probably microwaving. ]

I had a lot of fun. [ Sincerely. Running fingers through his own hair, he's trying to force something out of his throat. ] If... you're still free...

[ He wants to ask if they could spend some more time, maybe get some shaved ice or some lemonade. Whatever it takes to counter the heat. ]

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